Complications Arise
by Lola Estheim
Summary: Serah and Noel managed to travel back in time to Cocoon. But will things be all smiles and sunshine? Can love save them from what's to come?
1. Back in Bodhum

**Author's Note: I'm sorry I took forever to get this up, but I didn't have my laptop for a few weeks because I had to get a new keyboard and I apologize for the agonizingly long wait. But I'm back and I hope you like the story. **

Noel and I managed to get back to Cocoon. I had no idea what year it was, but we were in Bodhum. It looked the same... Just as I remembered it.

I knew that Noel and I had traveled through time to get away from our problems. The thing was, that I had no idea what the problems were. I felt a pang of sadness when I thought about it, even though I couldn't remember. I remembered two girls... They were babies, but I didn't remember them either. I just knew that I loved them both.

How would I live with incomplete memories? It was frustrating not to be able to remember. I looked over at Noel, just to find him looking as confused as I was. I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Are you having trouble with your memories too?"

"Yeah. It's like they're... out of my reach," he said, balling his fists in frustraton.

"We'll figure it out," I said, not sure if I actually believed it. The cool evening breeze whipped across my skin, sending shivers up my spine. Noel wrapped his arms around me from behind. It felt good to have his warm body so close to mine. "Let's go to my house. Lightning will be there."

"Right," Noel said with a nod. I took his arm and pulled him toward my hometown of Bodhum.

"And remember... Nobody here knows you, so act natural," I reminded him.

"Don't worry," Noel said.

Soon enough, we were in front of my house. I knocked on the door and Lightning opened it a few seconds later. "Serah," she said, wrapping me in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"What did I do?" I asked curiously.

"You graduated... Remember?"

"Oh yeah... Right."

"You've been out all day with your friends," Lightning said. She smiled as her eyes wandered to where Noel was standing. "Is this one of your friends?"

I smiled and said, "Yeah. This is Noel. Noel, this is my sister, Lightning."

"Nice to meet you," Noel said, smiling. I'd told him ahead of time that Lightning wasn't really into all of that physical contact. She returned his smile and stepped aside to let us inside.

I took Noel to my room. There were two beds... One used to be Lightning's, when we were little of course. Since our parents died, she took their old room. Noel picked up a picture on my dresser. "Are these your parents?"

"Yeah. They died in a train crash," I said sadly. I wondered what our lives would've been like if they hadn't died.

"I'm sorry," Noel said. "I guess that's one thing we have in common..." He smiled, but I could tell that he was thinking of Yeul and his life back in the Dying World. He looked up at me. "Are you and Snow still together in this time?"

"Yeah," I said, looking down at the floor. "I should break up with him... I can do it now. He lives a few houses away."

Noel nodded. "There's no rush. Take your time."

"No," I said. "I _want_ to do this."

* * *

I found myself at Snow's house about a half hour later. He lived with Maqui, Yuj, Gadot, and Lebreau. I greeted Lebreau, who was making dinner in the kitchen. She, Maqui, and Yuj bombarded me with congratulations and hugs on my graduation of high school.

I found Snow in his room, with a bunch of papers sprawled out across his bed. He smiled his million dollar smile when he saw me. "There's my little graduate," he said and hugged me. "Congrats."

"Thank you," I said. I looked down at the floor, putting my hands behind my back. "I was hoping that we could talk."

"Anything. What is it?"

"I think that we should break up..."

"What? Why? I thought..." he said. He looked at me in disbelief. Then his eyes flashed anger. "I was going to _propose_ to you, Serah!" He went into his nightstand, pulling out a necklace... An engagement one. I felt bad, but it had to be done.

"There's someone else."

"So you _cheated_?" He narrowed his eyebrows.

"No! I just want to end this now before anyone gets hurt."

"_Fine_, Serah. I hope you're happy," he said, turning his back to me. I took that as my cue to go and left his room and left his house. He didn't come running after me like he normally would. I supposed he accepted the fact that we'd broken up.

As I walked, I realized that I felt bad... Worse than I should. I mean, now I could be with Noel. I wanted him, and him only. I picked up some sandwiches from the store and went home. I left one on the counter for Lightning since she was in the shower.

I found Noel fast asleep on my bed. I smiled and sat down next to him. I watched his chest rise and fall with each breath. I laid down next to him, stroking his brown hair. His eyes fluttered open at my touch. "Hey, beautiful," he said. I broke into a huge grin.

"It's over between me and Snow," I said.

"Good," he said, brushing a soft kiss against my lips. "Now you're all mine. Can I have you?"

"Of course. You're all I ever wanted." I brushed my hand across his cheek. He took my hand in his, his warmth leaving me breathless.

"So what are we going to do? Now that we're on Cocoon..."

"I don't know. What do you want to do? We can do anything. I don't care, as long as we're together."

"We should probably get jobs first, high school graduate..."

"Actually, I kind of wanted to go to the University of Eden."

"Then go... We can go together."

"The only thing is... Snow goes there."

"He'll get on with his life eventually... So should we," Noel said. He kissed my hand. Soon after, his eyes closed and she was asleep again. I kissed his lips softly and put my head on his chest, not bothering to change into some pajamas. He wrapped his arms around me and, together, we drifted off into sleep.

* * *

I woke up early the next morning and got out of bed, careful not to wake Noel, who was snoring softly. Noel was so sweet. He didn't have to do anything to make me smile. Just being with him made me happy enough.

I went into the kitchen, where Lightning was drinking a glass of water. She gave me a faint smile when I walked in the room. "Morning," I said, getting a glass from the cabinet.

"Morning," she replied. Then she raised her eyebrows. "So is this Noel guy your boyfriend or something?"

"Well I broke up with Snow," I said, not sure of how she'd respond.

Her smile was enough to light up the whole room. She put down her glass and said, "It's about time..."

"And me and Noel are together now."

"Good... I have a good feeling about him. He'll treat you well. I know he will. Besides, if you and Snow were to get married..." she said. I twitched at the mention of marriage. "He'd probably be too busy trying to be the hero to pay you any attention."

Lightning had a point. Snow was always trying to be the hero and he was always abandoning the people he cared about in order to do so. Our marriage would probably be a disaster. It'd always be filled with arguments. We always argued a lot, but we always ended up getting back together.

I knew that Noel wouldn't do that to me. If there was anyone that Noel cared about, he stayed right by their side until the end. He did that with Yeul. He loved her so much and he was devastated when she died. And then he met me... And his devastation dissipated. Then he fell for me, just like I was falling for him.

"You're right," I said, then changed the subject. "I think I'm going to register for classes at the University of Eden this morning. Me and Noel are going to go together."

"Sounds great, but I have to get going. Training starts in an hour and I have to get to get on the next bus to Palumpolum."

"Sure. I'll see you later." Then I was left in the kitchen alone.

* * *

**So how'd you like the chapter? I know it kind of sucked, but I have absolutely NO idea where I'm going with this. What would you like to happen? Any suggestions? Feel free to review or message me. I'm all ears :)**


	2. Sticky Situation

**Author's Note: I forgot to mention before. The first story in my mini series is What a Girl Wants, then Lost in Time. You don't _have_ to read those first, but it might make things easier. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I know I've left you hanging in the last chapter, which was probably boring.**

* * *

Noel and I walked into the University of Eden with Maqui. He was registering for classes too. He and Noel were hitting it off, just like they had back on Pulse. They'd only just met an hour or two ago and it was as if they'd been friends for years. They were talking about majors.

I looked around the admissions office. It was all white. White walls, white linoleum floors… Serah picked up a brochure and started skimming through it. There was so many majors to choose from. But I already knew what I wanted to do, of course.

"What do you wanna major in, Serah?" Maqui asked as I looked through a brochure of courses.

"Teaching, of course," I said. "The children need me… What about you?"

"Engineering," he said. "Noel?" Noel looked up. He thought for a few seconds, and then scratched the back of his head.

"I'm not sure," he said. "Where I'm from… Well let's just say I didn't really have many interests."

"Take a look at the booklets," I said, handing him one. He sat down, studying it for a few minutes. Then he got up and put it back.

"I think I wanna major in the culinary arts," he said, finally.

"You don't have to choose a major right now, you know," I said, putting an arm on his shoulder. Maqui stood awkwardly. Snow was his friend and I was sure that he'd told Maqui about the breakup.

"I want to. I like food. Food likes me. Food and I… we understand each other," Noel said. I burst out into laughter, along with Maqui. I shook my head and we went to the front desk to fill out the registration forms.

"You have to be my roommate, Noel!" Maqui exclaimed, putting his hand on Noel's shoulder. Noel nodded and said, "Sure."

I thought about staying at home instead of staying in the dorms, but I figured dorms would be a lot more fun. On campus parties sounded a lot of fun. I sighed. I wondered who I'd room with. I supposed that I didn't have to room with anyone I knew. I just hoped I wouldn't end up some crazy roommate or anything.

* * *

Two months later…

Noel and I lugged our suitcases and bags of our stuff into our dormitory, East Plaza. Lightning was struggling to carry my tv behind us. "Could this… thing… get any… heavier?" she asked, dropping it in front of my room door. She huffed and smiled at Noel who was laughing playfully. Lightning liked Noel. She liked him a lot, much better than she ever liked Snow. But then again, she liked _anyone_ over Snow.

As I opened my door, I had a random thought about Snow. We hadn't spoken since the breakup… Probably because we'd been avoiding each other. Or at least, I'd been avoiding him. My relationship with Noel was perfect and I didn't want him to go messing everything up. Unfortunately, there was a possibility that I'd see him around the campus. I hoped I didn't see him for a long time. I didn't want to be bothered at all.

I was greeted by a pretty girl with deep purple hair and eyes to match. She hugged me and said, "You must be Serah! My name's Bliss. Nice to meet you." She helped me bring my bags in. She glanced at Noel and waved. "And who might this handsome person be?"

"Oh. That's Noel. My boyfriend," I replied. He brought in my tv and sat it on the dresser that I assumed to be mine. Then I pointed to Lightning. "And that's Lightning, my older sister."

"It's nice to meet you both," Bliss said.

"I'm gonna go find my room. I'll catch you later?" Noel said. I nodded before he and Lightning left, closing the door behind him.

Bliss sat on her bed, cross legged. "He's sooo cute! I'm glad you have good taste. There's not many cute guys here."

"Did you meet anyone here yet?" I asked, ignoring her.

"Nah. Not really. I got here shortly before you did. As you can see, I didn't have much to unpack." I glanced to her side of the room. Her dresser had a picture of herself on it, her desk was barren, and her bed had several colorful pillows, with matching sheets and comforter. "Do you want some help unpacking? You can get it done faster that way. Then we can go exploring!" Before I got a chance to answer, she was already opening my duffle bag asking which drawer I wanted my socks in.

* * *

Bliss and I found ourselves exploring the campus when we finished unpacking. I saw Yuj coming my way. Thankfully, he wasn't with Snow. "Hey, Serah!" he said, pulling me into a hug. "Who's your friend?"

Bliss stepped forward. "My name's Bliss," she said and shook his hand, batting her eyelashes. "Are you a freshman too?"

"No. I'm a sophomore," he replied. "Hey. We're meeting up for dinner later at Zeke's Café. It's on the south side of the campus… Do you ladies want to join us?"

"Of course!" Bliss said dramatically. I opened my mouth to say something, but it was already too late. "We'll be there!"

"Great! We're meeting at seven," Yuj said. Before walking off, he added, "Bring Noel. And Maqui too."

"See you at seven," Bliss called. I glared at her. "What?" she asked innocently.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd consult with me before making decisions for the both of us," I said, annoyed.

"What's the big deal?" she asked nonchalantly as we continued to walk through the campus. "It's just dinner. What could happen?"

"There's someone I don't want to see," I said.

"Who is it?"

"Snow. Snow Villiers."

"I've heard about him. I saw him when my parents dropped me off. He's absolutely gorgeous. Is he an ex boyfriend of yours?"

This girl was good, I thought. "Unfortunately."

"What happened? Tell me everything." Instead of answering her, I changed the topic to parties. "Ooh! There's one tonight! It's near our dorm… In the Ki-Etra-Mu House. It's going to be big! We absolutely _have_ to go! It'll be awesome. Trust me," she said playfully. For some reason, I wasn't sure if the party would be awesome. As a seeress, sometimes you had bad feelings. Hopefully, nothing too drastic would happen.

* * *

Bliss literally had to drag me into the restaurant with Noel and Maqui. At the table sat Yuj, Lebreau, and, to my dismay, Snow Villiers. I tucked my hair behind my ear and waved. "Hey guys," I said. I sat next to Yuj and across from Noel. Bliss sat across from Yuj, who didn't seem to mind. Bliss probably had a thing for Yuj, but I doubted Yuj was interested. I'd never even heard of Yuj having a girlfriend, even throughout high school.

I felt Snow staring at me from the far end of the table. A girl approached our table, handing out menus and muttered something about getting us some water. I pretended to be deep in thought about what I was going to order in order to avoid glancing at Snow.

Noel reached across the table to hold my hand. He caressed it and looked at me with concern. "Are you okay? You seem a little tense," he said. I smiled and said, "I'm fine. Really." I looked over at Snow, who was glaring at our embrace. He didn't like that at all. I could tell and I didn't feel bad about it one bit. I was over him.

"I'll have the Eden Burger," said Maqui. "No tomato."

"I'll have an Eden Burger over here, too," I said. I had no idea what an Eden Burger was, but I was about to find out. When everyone was finished ordering, my phone vibrated. I pulled it out to find that I had a notification on Social. I'd just been invited to the Ki-Etra-Mu party. I noticed that everyone else was in the middle of checking their phones as well.

"Looks like we're needed at that party tonight, huh?" Maqui said, loudly enough for the whole café to hear. Everyone began clapping and cheering. I smiled and shook my head.

"What can I say?" said Noel. "My roommate has a big mouth."

Dinner wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. I even asked Snow to pass me the ketchup. He gave me a strange look, but he handed it over. I wasn't going to let him ruin my fun. Lebreau, Bliss, and I discussed what we'd wear tonight while he guys talked about the football season.

* * *

I poked my lip out as I turned around in my lavender colored mini dress. I felt amazing. Bliss had done my makeup and hair. My pink hair was down and curled. My eyeliner was perfect. Bliss came out of the bathroom. "How do I look?" she asked. She did about ten model poses and waited for my reply.

"You. Look. Hot," I said.

"Thanks," she said. "You look pretty hot yourself."

"I wonder how the other girls will look."

"Probably like skanks. Probably with much less clothing than us. Probably less hot." I chuckled. This would be fun. There was most likely going to be liquor involved, as well as drunken girls in wet t-shirts. There'd probably be some streaking involved too. Of course, I'd be staying out of the limelight.

"Let's go," I said. Together, we followed everyone else to the frat house. By the time we got there, it was already packed. Bodies were everywhere...Up against walls, on couches, on counters… There were girls dancing on the counters, actually. The boys were throwing money, as if they were strippers. Then, one girl took her shirt off while doing a provocative dance.

"This is going to be _awesome_!" Bliss sang. She pulled me into the kitchen, pouring drinks for both of us. She handed me a cup and I took a sip of the liquid fire, burning my throat. Music was blasting in my ears. Where was Noel, as well as the others?

"Bliss! Serah!" shouted Maqui over the loud music. "Over here!" Maqui and the others were on the balcony. Snow was sitting on a chair in the corner, receiving a lap dance from some girl I didn't know. "When did you get here? You both look gorgeous by the way."

"We just got here," I said. "And thanks." I felt Noel behind me. He put his hands around my waist and kissed my cheek. "Hey there," he said. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, babe," I said. We'd started calling each other that. I liked it. Snow used to call me that too, but it felt right when Noel said that word to me.

"Dance with me," he said. I took his hand and we went back inside, where the music was. I grinded on him, with my cup in my hand. I could hear his breathing getting heavier. I grinned as I felt him stiffen. I turned around and kissed him. Our tongues met and nothing else mattered. I pulled away from him, breathing heavily myself. I stood on my toes and whispered I his ear, "Wanna get out of here?"

Noel smiled and held my hand. We made our way through the packed room and went upstairs to find someplace quiet. All of the rooms were locked except for one. We went inside, locking the door behind us. Noel sat down on the bed, pulling me down on top of him. I put my cup down on the table.

He started planting a trail of kisses down my neck, his cold fingers running across my collarbone. Then he kissed me full on the mouth. I put my arms around him, not wanting this moment to end. I helped him out of his shirt and I slipped my dress off. He started kissing me again but this time, I pulled away.

The music downstairs had stopped playing completely. Something was wrong… Something was very wrong. I heard someone run upstairs. They were banging on all of the doors, telling that they had to get out. Whoever it was, they sounded urgent. "What?" Noel asked in a husky voice. He kissed my collarbone again, but I pulled back. Noel frowned.

"Something's going on down there," I said. I pulled my dress back on. "Something's wrong." Noel sighed and put his shirt back on. We left the room and went downstairs. People were screaming, people were howling, people were scrambling about the house…

What the hell was going on? Was the party over? It had just begun. I pulled Noel to the balcony, but our friends weren't there. I did manage to find Snow though. I asked him what was happening.

"Apparently there's a fal'Cie in Bodhum. In the Pulse Vestige," he said absent mindedly. He was obviously wasted. I could smell it on his breath.

"Where'd everyone go?"

"They left as soon as they heard the news."

"Well we need to get out of here!"

"The party's just begun, baby." Snow chuckled before disappearing into the frantic crowd. I turned to see Noel frowning.

"He's just drunk. He doesn't know what he's doing," I said immediately.

Noel and I pushed our way out of the frat house. I scanned the crowd for our friends, but they were nowhere to be found. We looked all over campus, but I couldn't find them. I finally decided to go to my dorm room. Hopefully Bliss would be there.

We raced to our dorm, passing by groups of crying girls and boys trying to comfort them. I burst into my room to find that it was packed with our friends and Bliss. Bliss threw her arms around me. "Don't you ever disappear on us ever again!" she scolded. "Not without telling _someone_ where the hell you're going!"

"I'm sorry guys," I said. I pushed my hair out of my face. Noel sat down on my bed, where Yuj was sitting. I crawled in between them, crossing my legs. "So can any of you tell me what's going on?"

"There's a crazy fal'Cie on the loose!" Bliss said.

Yuj sighed and started telling the real story. "Long ago there was a fal'Cie on Gran Pulse called Anima. Anima's throne was then lifted into Cocoon, becoming Cocoon's Pulse Vestige. The ruins were investigated by soldiers today and well… whoever went inside were branded l'Cie by Anima. Anima is now an active fal'Cie. It's been dormant for five hundred years."

Maqui looked at him in disbelief. "How do you know all of this?"

"I'm gonna need to know these things if I ever want to become an archeologist," Yuj said and yawned.

"History major?" Bliss asked. Yuj nodded.

Then my eyes widened. I turned to Yuj. "You said that soldiers went into the Pulse Vestige, right?"

"Yeah. Why?" he said.

"_Lightning_! Lightning's a soldier! She could've been sent in there! Oh no," I said. I pulled out my cellphone and began dialing Lightning frantically. _Please answer_, I thought as the phone rang. The voice message system came on and I called about three more times before hanging up in defeat.

"I have to go back to Bodhum," I said, standing up. "I have to find Lightning…"

"You can't do that, Serah," said Maqui. "Nobody is allowed to leave campus. It's on lockdown until further notice."

"What?" I said. I stomped my foot. "They can't just keep us here!"

"If it means staying alive then I'm all for it," Yuj said.

"But that's my sister!" I shouted. "What if she's a l'Cie?"

"Serah," said Noel in a calm voice. "Relax. Maybe we'll know more in the morning."

"Sleepover?" Bliss suggested. "We should probably stick together." She went into the closet and threw blankets on the floor for Yuj and Maqui. Lebreau slept with Bliss and Noel slept next to me, with his arms wrapped around me.

I couldn't possibly sleep. Not until I knew that Lightning was okay. Not until I heard from her.


	3. Relentless Assault

I was woken up out of my sleep by the blaring loudspeakers. "Due to fal'Cie activity in Bodhum, the University will be on lockdown until further notice. All classes will be suspended and a curfew of eleven o'clock pm will be enforced. Thank you and have a wonderful day."

How could anyone possibly have a wonderful day when all of this was going on? I picked up my cell and dialed Lightning again. This time, it went straight to voicemail. I sucked my teeth. How was I supposed to know if Lightning was okay? I had to find a way to get the hell off of this campus and find some answers.

Bliss sat up in her bed yawning. "Morning! How long do you think campus will be on lockdown?"

"Hopefully not for long," I said wistfully. I picked up the remote and turned on the tv to see if there was anything on the news. Everyone in the room rubbed sleep from their eyes as the news reporter said, "The Purge will take place ths afternoon at two o'clock. Some Purgees have been identified as ex-soldier Claire Farron, Nora and Hope Estheim, and Alyssa Zaidelle. We will keep you updated as time goes on."

My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe. Everyone knew that the Purge was just an excuse to kill people, who were usually innocent. They just took anyone... anyone who was supposedly "touched" by Pulse.

What I was trying to prevent was happening all over again. I traveled back to Cocoon hoping that I could avoid becomibng a l'Cie. But this time Lightning was in trouble. I had no idea if she was a l'Cie, but she was in trouble. I couldn't let them take her away from me. It wasn't going to happen. Not on my watch.

Bliss started hyperventilating. I stared at her in confusion. "Alyssa... is my cousin! We have to do something!" I nodded in agreement and stood up.

"Well what _can_ we do?" Maqui asked. "We're just kids to them."

"You're right," I said. "We _are_ kids to them, but that doesn't mean that we can't try to stop the Purge."

"Stop the Purge? How could we possibly?" Yuj turned to me, waiting for my reply. Honestly, I had no idea what we could do to stop it. But we couldn't just sit around and do nothing.

"I don't know," I confessed. I sat back down next to Noel. He took my hand in his.

"Whatever we're going to do, it's going to require us to leave the campus," Noel said. "It won't be easy. We need Snow. Let's go find him."Yuj and Maqui nodded, leaving the room behind Noel. Lebreau sighed.

"Everyone in bodhum is in danger," she said. "All of our families and friends."

* * *

Snow leaned back in his chair. We were at the pizzeria eating lunch. I wasn't very hungry. Nobody was. All we could think about was what was happening back in Bodhum. "So do you have any ideas?" Noel asked him.

"It's simple," he said. "We take down PSICOM... the ones that are gaurding the exits. We take them down and we get the hell out of here. Then we go to Bodhum to stop the train. Maybe we can find a way to derail it."

"That's crazy," Lebreau said. "Taking down PSICOM? Derailing a Purge train?"

He ignored her and continued. "We don't have many options here. It's either that or we sit here and stare at each other, hoping the Purge will end," he said. "No obligations, rules, or authority!"

"NORA!" said Maqui. "We can call ourselves NORA!"

"NORA," I said carefully. I shrugged. "We may as well have a name since we're the rebels."

"Exactly," Noel said. "If we're going to be rebels, everyone should know who we are."

"Who's with me?" Snow asked. One by one, everyone agreed.

Lebreau smiled. "I can't let you idiots do anything stupid, so I'm coming."

"All right. Does everyone have weapons that they can use?" asked Snow. "We're going to need those." Everyone nodded. It was easy to smuggle in weapons. It was like they wanted us to use them or something. "We'll meet by the fountain in an hour. Get ready and bring only important things with you. We might not be able to come back here after this."

Noel laughed. "Well that was a waste of a tuition deposit. None of us learned a thing."

Snow put his fist in the air. "We're the heroes! We don't need this place!" I shook my head. Snow hadn't chnaged at all. He was still trying to be the hero.

After I took a shower and got dressed, I pulled my bowsword from under my bed. Bliss sat next to me, holding her gun. She ran her fingers across the cold material. "First time I'll get to use this thing for real. Have you used that before?"

I nodded. "Quite a few times." I remembered using it in the future. I couldn't remember all the details though. The future must be changing. I gasped and was pulled into a vision before I could comprehend what was happening.

Cocoon... It was destroyed... Barren... There was death everywhere. Dead bodies lay across the ground. There was no life. The fal'Cie had destroyed everything, wiping out all life. It was a hopeless future. A dying world. A future that I had to protect...

I was brought back into reality by Bliss, who was shaking me wildly. "Serah!"

"I'm... I'm okay," I said, unsure of what I'd just seen. "I just spaced out." I felt bad for lying, but there was no way I could tell her that I was a seeress without telling her my whole story. I was nervous. Why had the fal'Cie destroyed everything and everyone? What was going to happen.

I hadn't had a vision since I came to Cocoon. I thought that maybe it was all over... that I had lost my gift. But it was still with me, which meant that I was closer to death. That scared me. I didn't want to die. I had so much that I didn't do. I hadn't even started college like I wanted. What would Noel do if I died? How would he cope with that pain?

"Are you sure?" Bliss asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," i assured her. I picked up my backpack. "We should get going. It's almost time." As we walked out of our dorm and onto the campus grounds, Bliss asked, "Do you think Yuj is into me?"

"He might be. Personally, I've never seen him with a girl. Like on a date. I'm not sure he's ever had a girlfriend before," I said.

Bliss looked at me in horror. "Oh, for Etro's sake! He's gay isn't he? Is it Maqui? I had a feeling something was going on between them!"

"No, Bliss. Neither of them are gay. I've known them my whole life. I'd know."

"Good. Because Yuj will be mine. Just wait and see." I laughed. I liked Bliss. I'd only known her for a day, but I thought she'd make a good friend. And I appreciated the fact that she'd stopped answering for me.

The others were waiting by the fountain when Bliss and I approached it. PSICOM officers were walking about the campus. We probably looked suspicious, but I supposed it didn't matter. We were about to kick some PSICOM ass.

"First, we'll take out the ones closest to the exits. We don't need to pick any unnecessary fights," Snow said. "We'll find a way to get to Bodhum once we get out of here. We'll have to lay low after we escape. There's no doubt that they'll be after us."

I nodded. He said, "On three, we head for that gate straight ahead... One, two... THREE!" With that, we charged ahead. We startled some of our classmates doing so, but they were the least of our problems. Snow pounded his fists together. I knew it wouldn't be easy getting off the campus, but this was war.

Bliss and Lebreau started firing their guns, causing the PSICOM soldiers to run straight to us. They fired in response. I readied my bowsword and shot an arrow at the nearest PSICOM soldier. He fell down with a groan. Noel finished him off, stabbing him in the back. I heard Snow getting several powerful punches in before I turned to find more soldiers running toward us.

"Hey!" one of them cried. "Drop your weapons!"

"Ha!" said Noel, charging for them. He dodged all of their bullets and began the assault. Yuj and Bliss fired, careful not to hit Snow or Noel. Maqui started yelling and running toward us. I fired at the next soldier I saw twice before he fell.

"Guys! The exit is clear! Let's get out of here!" he shouted, waving his hands wildly in the air. Snow nodded before delivering the final blow to the soldier before him. We charged for the exit. I looked back to find our classmates running and screaming, confused and afraid from the attack. _So much chaos, so little time_, I thought.

* * *

The coast was clear. We'd been hiding within the trees for a few minutes but nobody came looking for us. I stood up since it wa safe. "How are we going to get to Bodhum?"

"There's a parking lot nearby. We could probably steal a few aerobikes or something," Bliss suggested.

"Sure," Noel said. "It's not like we haven't broken about half a dozen rules already. How much more trouble could we get into?"

"Let's go, heroes," Snow said. He took off at a run toward the parking lot. I hurried behind him to keep up. Noel ran beside me.

"You okay?" he asked. Truthfully, I wasn't okay. I was worried about Lightning, but I was even more worried about the vision that I had. How much longer did I have to live? How many more visions left before my death? The thoughts worried me, but I didn't want to worry Noel. I shook my head and said that I was fine. I could tell that he knew I was lying, but he didn't push it. He'd probably want to talk about it later. By then, I could come up with a story to tell.

As Bliss suggested, we took a few aerobikes. The owners were nowhere to be found. After all, pretty much every place in Cocoon was on lockdown. I wasn't surprised. I sat on an aerobike with Noel, who insisted on driving. Bliss purposely went with Yuj, Lebreau with Maqui, and Snow by himself. I just hoped that Bliss didn't scare Yuj away with her seductive tactics.

We arrived in Bodhum in less than an hour. If we hadn't found the aerobikes, who knows how long it would've taken. I knew we wouldn't have made it to Bodhum by the time the Purge train was set to leave. We had five minutes. Five minutes to stop the Purge train. Five minutes to save Lightning and the others. Their fate was in our hands. This was a task that I couldn't afford to fail. If I failed, there was no saving the future.

**If the scene with the action completely sucked, I understand. I'm no good at fighting scenes. But you guys better enjoy this chapter because I spent all morning on it when I should probably be doing my summer homework. Ah, oh well :)**


	4. Ready or Not

Five minutes…

Everyone hopped off of their aerobikes and hid behind a building near the Purge train. PSICOM soldiers were everywhere. It wasn't like we could just get on the train and get everyone out safely without a major fight. Maybe there was an entrance to the train that we could use with discretion. "So what's the plan now, hero?" said Noel sarcastically. I let out a small chuckle.

Snow took a look around him. Then his eyes widened, meaning that he had an idea. Being Snow, it was probably some outrageous plan that would get us killed. "We steal some uniforms," he said, pointing to a box that clearly said that there were uniforms inside. Noel and Snow opened the box, pulling out several uniforms. Everyone grabbed one in their size.

Four minutes…

Snow led us into a house around the corner that had been abandoned long ago, saying that we should leave our stuff inside. The whole town looked abandoned. There was literally no one in the streets. It all looked strange to me. The streets of Bodhum had once been so crowded and full of life before this whole mess. I scowled as Bliss and I changed into the very fitting uniforms.

Two and a half minutes…

"Maybe I should've gotten an extra small instead of a small," Bliss whined as we went outside the house, waiting for the others. A few seconds later, everyone emerged from the house, ready to go.

"Come on," Yuj said. "If we're really gonna pull this off, we've got no time to lose." With that, everyone followed behind him toward the Purge train.

One minute…

We approached an officer with a different colored uniform. He, or she, was a lieutenant. "What's this? The train leaves in exactly _one_ minute! You're very late!" shouted a deep man's voice. "Well don't just stand there, go aboard!" We didn't hesitate as we piled into the train. A few seconds later, it took off. We stumbled into each other with the sudden swift movement.

Another officer came through a door leading into another car. "I need two of you to guard the cargo, two of you to guard the exit, and two of you to patrol the cars. And one more to the control room. Grab your guns from that bin over there." We each grabbed a gun, which would come in handy later. Snow and I followed the man so that we could do patrol duty. Yuj decided to go into the control room, being that he was probably the smartest one in the group. And everyone else took the boring jobs to guard the cargo and exits.

This was it. This was my chance to free Lightning and everyone else. From the control room, Yuj could probably find a way to take control of the train. But we'd pretty much have to beat everyone up first that wasn't on our side. The man left us to patrol, going back the way we came, leaving Snow and I alone in the empty hallway. Probably heading to the control room to do who knew what. Snow put his gun down to his side. He just stood there. I couldn't tell if he was looking at me or not. "Serah," he said softly. By the tone of his voice, I knew he was about to give me some sort of emotional speech.

"Yeah, Snow?" I said, just as softly.

"Did you leave me for him? Noel?"

I nodded. It was true, after all. "Yes. I was in love with him."

"So you lied to me? Just the day before you broke up with me, you told me that you loved me and that you didn't want to be with anyone else."

"It's not like that, Snow. I was always in love with him," I said. "I just didn't realize until then."

"Where did he even come from? How do you know him?"

"He's not from Bodhum. I've known him for a long time. A family friend… He just came back in town," I lied.

"So did you love me at all? Was our whole relationship a lie?"

I sighed. "Of course not! I did love you. Why do you think I gave you so many chances? I loved you both."

"You _can't_… You can't love two people at once," he said quietly, almost whispering.

"We have a mission to carry out," I said, walking into the next room.

"I still love you, Serah," he said after I'd walked away. He didn't know it, but I heard him say it. It was like no matter where I went he was there. It was like I couldn't escape him. No matter where I was: past, present, or future, he was always there. Were we meant to be? I couldn't see any other reasonable explanation. I shook thoughts of him out of my head.

He followed behind me, almost hesitating._ He'd better not hesitate when we have to rescue these people_, I thought. There were no other officers in the car. It was the last car, which meant that there was only one way in and out, which also meant that it would be easy to know if an unexpected visitor came into the room…

About twelve people were in the car, sitting down in those cursed Purgee robes. I examined the seats carefully. They were strapped in. I walked around, looking for a way to free them, but I didn't blow my cover as an "officer." I spotted a control panel. It had switches to lock and unlock the straps. I pressed the buttons, and one by one, they were freed. They looked at me with wide eyes, but no one moved. Except for one… The person removed their robe, revealing Lightning.

"Who are you?" she asked, eyeing me and Snow. Instead of answering, I took off the helmet on my head and watched as she stared in horror and surprise. Snow did the same. She immediately pulled me into a hug, then nodded at Snow.

"I know that this may be a shock to all of you," I said loudly. "But we're here to get you off of this train and to safety. The Purge must be stopped… Now I'm going to lock you back in your seats and we're going to come back for you once the train stops." Nobody protested except for Lightning, who insisted on helping us fight.

"I know how these officers operate. I'm familiar with these trains. I was on board the last time there was a Purge," she explained. I sighed, but she would be useful in taking down the PSICOM officers on board. I secured the remainder of the Purgees in their seats and continued to the next car. Snow handed Lightning the gunblade that he'd taken out of the bin earlier. "Thanks," she said, walking in front of us. I assumed that she was heading for the control room.

We ran into the others on the way, except for Yuj, who was in the control room. I wondered what was going on in there. We were about to find out. The others took their helmets off too, revealing themselves. "We've got Lightning," I said. "We'll go back to get the others after we go in that control room and stop this train." Noel, Bliss, Maqui, and Lebreau all nodded in unison.

Suddenly, the train stopped abruptly. "What happened?" asked Bliss. Everyone paused before running toward the control room. We burst in to find Yuj smiling triumphantly, with all the other officers on the floor.

"What? How'd you?" Lightning started to ask. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't we hear any gunshots?"

"This room… it's soundproof. Can't you tell?" Yuj said nonchalantly, as if Light had only asked him what color the sky was. "Look… You see that symbol just above the door? That's the seal of one of the major soundproofing companies on Cocoon. How do you not know that?"

Bliss giggled. "Because we're not all nerds like you."

"Hey!" he protested. "I am not a nerd. My brain simply retains a lot of information… that's all."

"Yeah, sure," she said. Then she mumbled something about him being a know-it-all.

"Hey! I heard that!" he shouted.

"You managed to take out everyone in the room yourself," said Snow, looking at the fallen soldiers. "Nice job, Yuj."

"Thanks," Yuj said. Then he continued. "So I've got control of the train now. Where to?"

* * *

**OMG! WHAT A CLIFFHANGER... SO WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANT TO HAPPEN NEXT? ANY SUGGESTIONS? I'LL DEDICATE MY NEXT CHAPTER TO YOU IF I LIKE YOUR IDEA. MESSAGE ME IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS. HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER :)  
**


	5. Divide & Conquer

**Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to user GreenTea87 for helping me come up with a few ideas. I hope you like it.**

I heard a loud thump above my head. "What was that?" Fear rose in my chest. Snow stepped closer to Yuj.

"Get the train moving," said Lightning.

Snow smiled. "Looks like we've got ourselves some company." Bliss went toward the door. "I'll go check on the others," she said. "Come on, Maqui." Maqui looked terrified, but he followed behind my roommate. The train slowly began moving, then started picking up speed. PSICOM officers burst in the room. "The intruders!" one of them cried.

They took fire, sending a few bullets all over the room. Snow grabbed one officer, took his gun and smashed it into the wall as Noel, Lightning, and Lebreau sent several bullets into the officers' chests. I ran out of the room, to see if there was anyone else coming. I opened the door even though the train was still in motion.

My hair whipped in the strong gusts of wind. I took a look around. We were near the Hanging Edge, passing by it. I saw a ship heading in our direction. It aimed and fired at the train, sending me backwards into the wall. Where had it hit? I closed the door and went to get the others. Bliss and Maqui had let them out of their seats, but there was an even bigger problem at hand: The back of the train had been destroyed, leaving a huge hole.

We were completely vulnerable. We had to get off of this train somehow. But we couldn't do that without falling to our deaths. I heard several thumps on the roof. I gulped. "Let's get the others before our visitors do," said Bliss, taking off. The Purgees followed us. I could feel their fear, or was it my own?

The train came to an abrupt stop. It was too late. Jill Nabaat was standing before us before we could go any further, shaking her head. "Don't try to resist," she said. "There's no point and there's nowhere for you to go." I saw Lightning struggling in handcuffs, along with Yuj, Noel, Snow, and Lebreau. One soldier stuck a needle into Lightning's arm and she struggled no more.

From the open door, I could see that an airship had pulled up right next to the train and a ramp had been put down so that we could walk inside. The soldier picked Lightning up and carried her onto the ship. The soldiers pushed all of us onto the ship, and lead us downstairs into a cell big enough for all twenty of us. She made everyone drop their weapons into a bin.

Jill locked the gate and frowned at us. "It's a pity that you made an attempt to take down PSICOM, but did you _really_ think you'd get away with it? Pathetic. Now you'll all most likely be executed… or maybe exiled to Gran Pulse. The primarch will decide. And from my knowledge, there are two l'Cie in this room, aren't there?" She smiled an evil smile and walked away, as if nothing was wrong.

* * *

The Purgees took off their stupid robes, leaving them in a big pile on the floor. A man spoke up. "Who here is a l'Cie?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" asked a young boy around fourteen. _Hope_, I thought. "We're going to die anyway."

"Don't be so sure," said a woman, most likely his mother. Her name was Nora. I remembered that Hope told me that at one point.

"They've already got us! You think they'll care who's l'Cie and who's not?" he demanded. His mother sighed and sat down against the wall.

"He's right, you know," Bliss said, sitting next to Alyssa. "It doesn't matter."

"Nothing will matter unless we get out of here," said Lightning, revealing her l'Cie brand.

"You've got an idea?" I asked my sister.

"L'Cie are given special powers according to legend. They are given the power to summon an eidolon. I have an eidolith, but I don't know how to activate it. I've tried everything," she said, falling back against the wall.

"You break it," said Noel. "That's how you summon your eidolon. You break it and it's yours to control."

"How do _you_ know?" Lightning's eyes narrowed.

"I, um, heard about it. My grandmother told me. She does a lot of research," Noel said, a little too nervously. Lightning didn't push it. She was too concerned with getting the hell out of here.

She took her eidolith out of her pocket. "How the hell am I supposed to break it if I don't have my gunblade? We don't have anything we could use." She yelled out in frustration, punching the wall.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find a way out of this."

"No, Serah! This eidolith is the key to getting out of here. How are we supposed to do that if I've got nothing to break it with? I _have_ to do this!"

"Lightning, you don't have to do all of this yourself. There are more of us who are willing to help. This battle isn't meant for you to fight alone."

Her eyes widened. She turned around and leaned against the wall. "You're right." Snow went to the bars of the cell.

"What do you say we break the bars off of this thing. We can use that to smash the eidolith, right?" the hero said assertively.

"Right," said Noel. He and Noel, along with the help of Yuj found a way to break one of the bars. Lightning snatched it out of Snow's hand and took her eidolith out, placing it on the ground.

"Everyone back up. I'm not sure what this thing's gonna do," she said before slamming the bar into the crystal with all of her strength. There was a loud explosion and dust went flying everywhere. I heard alarms go off and bright lights flashing the color of red. We'd obviously triggered the alarm.

When the dust cleared, a large figure appeared before all of us. Odin. Lightning's eidolon was Odin, the key to getting us off of this airship. Odin's head was nearly touching the ceiling. Lightning had made it yield to her somehow and commanded him to burst through the wall. Jill Nabaat appeared before Odin, causing her mouth to drop. She backed away, whispering something frantically into her earpiece and Odin picked her up in his hand. "Don't kill her," Lightning said. "We can use her later." Odin cast sleep on her and dropped her to the ground.

"We could steal the airship," I suggested.

"But where would we go?" Yuj asked. "We're probably on Cocoon's Most Wanted by now."

"He's right. It's not safe for us anywhere," Noel said.

"There's one place we could go," said a young girl about 19.

"Who are you?" Lightning asked.

"Vanille. I was saying that maybe . . . we could go to Gran Pulse," she explained. "We could all start over. I'm from Oerba. My village is still there."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Sazh said. "Live on Pulse?" PSICOM soldiers surrounded them, but dropped their guns when they saw Odin. One false move and Odin could kill all of them, in just the blink of an eye. For now, we were untouchable.

"It seems to be our only option," said Lightning. "But there's one last thing that I need to do."

* * *

We locked all of the PSICOM officers in a cell similar to the ones we were put in. Yuj flew us to Eden, the capitol city of Cocoon. Everyone retrieved some weapons and got off of the airship. Lightning lead the way, but I stayed close to her. We marched into the Primarch's Hall. Well, Odin sort of knocked the door down and crushed all the guards outside. Same thing, right?

"What's this?" Primarch Dysley asked, taking a sip of his wine nonchalantly. He just sat in his throne like the bastard he was.

"This has to stop. Now!" Lightning shouted. "We stopped the Purge already. How many more people do you want us to kill before you finally get the message?"

The primarch simply chuckled, as if it was no big deal. "It doesn't matter how many people you kill. You could kill everyone on Cocoon, but it wouldn't, and won't, change anything. Now, run along. Don't you children have somewhere _else_ to be?"

"We'll kill her," Lightning said, holding up Jill. She was awake now, confused with everything going on around her.

"Go ahead," he challenged. Lightning dropped her to the ground. "I see." He cast poison on her, making her squirm until her eyes turned cold and flat.

"You son of a bitch," Snow howled, pounding his fists together.

"I suggest you leave. I have the power to send this world crashing down, so get out of here before I do something drastic."

We walked out of the room. "What does he mean that he has the power to send this world crashing down?" I asked as we walked back outside.

"There's a device . . . It's called a Commcontrol. It's the device that keeps Cocoon afloat. If it's turned off, Cocoon will go crashing into Gran Pulse," Yuj said. As Yuj spoke, I felt the ground underneath me tremble. It felt like we were falling.

"Shit!" said Lightning.

"Son of a bitch! I'll finish him off," Snow said, taking off into the building.

"Snow!" I cried, but it was too late. He was long gone.

"Everyone on the airship!" Lightning yelled. "Now!"

* * *

**Ta-da! Lol. Sorry I took so long to update. Unfortunately, when school starts, I'll be taking longer to update. But hopefully I'll finish this fic before then. Hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for more :)**

**~Lola Estheim**


	6. End of the Road

"What about Snow?" I cried. "We can't just leave him to die!"

"He _knew_ what he was getting himself into when he ran back inside, Serah! He's trying to be the hero, but he can't save anyone. Not you, not me, not even himself… Now _get_ on the ship before we all die!" Lightning snapped. She pushed me into the airship and sealed the door behind us. "Yuj!" she called, heading for the control room.

There was nothing that I could do except wait, so I went into a room where I found Noel. I stood by him awkwardly for a few seconds. We hadn't spent much time alone since the night of the disastrous party. "Is something bothering you?" Noel asked, grabbing my hand. Then his face got serious. "Did you have a vision?"

I considered telling him the truth for a minute. But it would only worry him and we were in the middle of a crisis already. I didn't want him to carry my own burden. "No. I'm just scared," I said, which wasn't a lie. I _was_ scared. I mean, Cocoon was falling out of the sky. It would undoubtedly crash into Gran Pulse and shatter in a million and one pieces. There was no way we'd all survive that. Actually, there was no way _anyone_ would survive that fall.

And Lightning… She was a l'Cie. She was doomed. If she didn't complete her Focus, she'd turn into a Cie'th and we'd have to kill her in order to protect ourselves. But if she did complete her Focus, she'd turn to crystal and wake up hundreds of years later. We'd be long gone by then.

"I'm scared too," Noel admitted. "I've been through some crazy things in life, but I think this is the craziest." I felt the vibrations of the airship under my feet and felt relief sweep over me. He kissed me on my forehead. "I love you, Serah. We can get through this." I smiled and told him that I loved him too.

"Come on," he said, pulling my hand. He led me to the control room, where everyone seemed to be arguing over what to do next. "We can't land there! It's right under Cocoon. We'll be buried in debris!"

"Where the hell are we going?!"

"You don't know anything!"

"Let's face it! We're all gonna die!" said Hope. He seemed a lot angrier these days. I stepped in front of him, tired of his negative attitude.

"Look… we're going to survive this, Hope! Be positive!" I yelled.

"How'd you know my name? We've never even met." he asked, curious. I wasn't at all prepared to answer a question like that. Instead I said, "I'm Serah," and walked to Yuj. We were off of Cocoon now, which had crashed into Gran Pulse as I'd seen.

I spaced out, seeing visions of dead bodies, blood, and debris lying on the ground, surrounded by fire and ruin. Then I saw visions of my friends in Oerba. Noel looked distraught, as well as the others. They were cooking dinner. I saw everyone… but Snow… and me. Then I saw a glimpse of a Cie'th. I assumed it to be my sister. As I came back to my senses, the realization sunk in.

My time was near. I was going to die soon. Time was running out. At least I knew we'd survive. Then the airship came to a halt, mid air. The others and I stared in horror as we looked down on the ruins of what used to be our home. Our families and friends were all gone. No one could possibly survive a fall like that. I watched as the fire burned below us. "Now what?" I asked Lightning. She looked terrified.

"I… I guess we need to find shelter," she replied. She looked at the wall, the way she did when she was thinking.

Vanille started jumping up and down in a very annoying way. "Look! There's Oerba! We can go there! There's still some houses left!"

Yuj looked at Lightning. "How about it?"

Lightning turned to Yuj with an emotionless gaze. "Land the ship."

* * *

A few minutes later, we freed the PSICOM soldiers that we captured. They came quietly, but no one trusted any of them just yet. I sure as hell didn't. Everyone poured off of the airship, weapons in hand. "Stay sharp," Noel said loudly. "There could be monsters anywhere."

"Right," I said with a nod. I kept close to Noel and we searched the town. Within an hour, everyone confirmed with Lightning that all areas were clear.

My stomach grumbled. I couldn't remember the last time any of us had eaten something. I walked up to Lightning, who I could tell was still broken. Of course, she wasn't showing any emotion. As her sister, I just knew. "Should we hunt for food? We're probably all starved and tired."

Lightning glanced at me. "Yeah," she said, pulling out her sword. She walked off as Bliss came up to me, dragging Yuj with her. I was startled. "What's going on?"

Bliss started jumping up and down. "Yuj and I… We're together now! Isn't that great!"

"Well, we _do_ have to increase our very small population," Yuj purred. "And you're hot."

"Yujie! Shut up! But thank you."

"Yujie?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at her. "Of all the things to call him?"

"I think it's cute," Bliss said before dragging her new boyfriend off in another direction. Yuj shrugged and reached out toward me.

"Help me," he mouthed. I just mouthed. I wished that I could see how long they'd last. But, apparently my time was almost out.

* * *

I couldn't sleep. There was too much going on. It was bad enough that Noel and I were sharing a house with Hope, Vanille, and Nora. I was so stressed. I sighed and got out of bed, careful not to wake Noel.

I stood out on the balcony and looked out at the same place Cocoon used to be. We were the only humans left. It was almost like the Dying World. I supposed that there were enough of us to increase the population at some point, which would be vital to survival.

I sighed. I wished that I hadn't been so hard on Snow. Deep down, I knew that I was still in love with him. Maybe that was the reason I could never escape him. Was Etro trying to make me see that? I loved Noel too though. I loved two people at once. I loved Noel more, but I couldn't push the feelings I had for Snow away… no matter how many times he'd hurt me.

He loved me too, I heard him say it back when we were on the Purge train. Now, he was most likely dead… He was always trying to be the hero, but this time, he killed himself. I resented him for that.

I spaced out again, feeling myself fall to the ground. I saw a Cie'th being slain. Then, Vanille and Hope got married. Then Yuj and Bliss. Years later, a woman named Fang joined the group and eventually got with and married Noel. Everything else was peaceful. I saw generations and generations of peace and happiness. Then blackness and chaos taking over me.

* * *

NOEL POV

I felt Serah get up out of the bed. I sat up and yawned sleepily. "Serah?" I called. She didn't hear me, so I got up and followed her out onto the balcony. I figured that I'd surprise her. But then she started swaying unsteadily. "Serah!" I ran and caught her fall. There was a very familiar look on her face that I recalled from when Yeul died. She was about to die. My eyes widened in horror and tears fell freely down my cheeks. "Serah! Please… don't die on me now," I pleaded. "You can't… I love you too much. Why didn't you tell me you were having visions?"

Before her eyes closed for good, she said, "I'm sorry."

"Serah!" I screamed as loud as I could. Why was this happening to me? Why now? I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her… Maybe even have kids. Now none of that was possible. Serah was the only reason I bothered to get up in the mornings. Now I had no reason to go on. I couldn't possibly move on. I couldn't see through my tears. I just held Serah in my arms until everyone came to see if I was all right. Lightning dropped to her knees when she saw her dead sister.

"What… happened?" Lightning choked.

"She was a seeress. Every time she had a vision, it brought her closer to death," I said. Lightning, nor anybody else understood. But they would. Soon enough.

Time froze. Everyone was still, except me. What happened? Suddenly, Yeul appeared. She walked toward me. She was dead. She couldn't be here, wherever "here" was. "When you change the future, you change the past," she said and vanished. Then time continued onward, leaving me confused, heartbroken, and alone.

* * *

**So the story's over now *tear* However, the next chapter will be comprised of letters to Serah from different characters. It will be dedicated to plaidprincess3000 because her fic inspired me to do something similiar :)  
**


	7. Words Unspoken

Dear Serah,

Why didn't you tell me that you were having visions? You could've at least told me. I mean, at least I would've known. Then I would've cherished every moment I had with you. I would've kissed and hugged you more. I would've let you know how much I love you. I still love you. I always will. I just wish things could've been different.

You love Snow still, don't you? I saw the look on your face when you saw him run back into that building. You looked like you wanted to go after him. I never would've forgiven you if you had. I'm glad you decided to stay with me. You still love me, don't you? Well, I understand if you're confused. I mean, Snow was your first love, right?

I wonder what would've happened if we hadn't traveled to the past, back to Cocoon. If we'd stayed put, how would things have been? It would've been stressful, I guess but would you have lived longer?

I have this necklace that I always keep in my pocket. It's my grandmother's old engagement one. I wanted to put it around your neck one day because I love you and want to spend my life with you. But that's impossible now. I'll probably never fall in love again because I love you that much. I promise I'll always remember you. You'll always have a place in my heart, because you _are_ my heart. And you were taken away from me because of some stupid "gift."

I hope that we meet again some day. When I die, you're the first person I want to see. Does it hurt? Dying? Or is it like a weight being lifted off your shoulders? As for your last words to me… I forgive you. I love you so much. I can't stress that enough.

Love always, Noel

* * *

Dear Serah,

I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry that you had to die.

I couldn't complete my Focus. I didn't know what it was, so I turned into a Cie'th. Then our friends had to kill me. I couldn't control myself. The only thing I knew how to do at the time was to attack.

And why didn't you tell me that you and Noel went time traveling? I would've believed you. I would've tried to help in some way. He told me everything, Noel. Well… what he could remember. He said something that some things weren't clear because the timeline has been changed.

I'm glad I'm finally out of my misery. I don't know where I am. I'm alone in a dark place. Where are you? Will I ever see you again? I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, wherever you are.

Sincerely, Light

* * *

Dear Serah,

When I ran back into that building, I didn't know what I was thinking. By the time I ran back outside, the airship was gone. I tried to run somewhere, but where could I go with Cocoon spiraling downward anyway?

My last thoughts were of you, Serah. All of our memories flowed through my head. Our first kiss… Our first time… Then I thought about what life would've been like if you hadn't broken up with me. I would've proposed to you. I wanted to make you my wife. Shit, I still do. But now I can't.

Are you still alive? I think I'm in a place called The Void Beyond. Time doesn't flow here. The other day, I thought I saw you. But when I tried to get a closer look, I saw nothing. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me. Or maybe not? Did you die? Does that mean I can see you again? I'd do anything for that. I'm terribly lonely. I'd do anything to be able to talk to someone again.

And I promise, no more heroics. Okay?

From, the retired "hero."

* * *

Serah,

I know that we haven't known each other for very long, but it's so strange without you here. You were a good friend. I know that I can be… annoying at times, but sometimes I can't help it. I'm sorry for answering for you all those times and volunteering your services. I need to get rid of that habit.

Anyway, I wish that you were here. Everyone's so depressed. I am too. Nobody speaks unless it's absolutely necessary. Everyone's taking it pretty hard, especially Noel. He barely sleeps or eats. He's hurting so bad, Serah. I'm afraid that he might try to kill himself… so that he could be with you, wherever you are.

I'm sorry this happened to you. And I'm sorry that we had to kill Lightning. I'll try to keep everyone together. Maybe we'll all see each other again some time. I sure hope so. I'll have a lot of hot gossip to tell you! Love you!

From, Bliss

* * *

Dear Serah,

I wish that we could have got to know each other better. I'm working on my attitude and I think that you were right. I need to be more positive about things. When you snapped at me that day, it kind of inspired me to try to be a better person.

I still wonder how you knew my name. But now I know. Noel told us everything. He said that I loved you, sometime in the future and that we were married with a baby. Then you cheated with the crazy guy that ran into the building and had a baby by him. None of that sounds familiar to me. I must've loved you a lot if I stayed with you that whole time.

Maybe if you hadn't been with Noel, we could've been together some day. Maybe it would've worked out. I'll admit that I had a crush on you. I think you're beautiful. I'll see you soon… when the time comes.

Sincerely, Hope Estheim

* * *

**The final chapter will be about Serah, responding to all of these letters. I hope you liked these. Review! Review! Review! I love you guys :)  
**


	8. Last Breath

Dear Noel,

I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for keeping secrets from you. I never lied to you, except about my visions. I thought that I could stop them somehow or maybe fix them. But I should've known better. I wish you could wrap your arms around me one last time. I miss your delicate touch and soft kisses. I miss your voice and the way you'd always protect me no matter what. You're the type of person who'd risk their life for me. I know you would and I thank you for that.

I do still love Snow. It's hard for me. It's not that I _want_ to. It's just... like I can't escape from him. no matter where I go, there he is. Always there, especially when I'm trying to move on with my life. And he'd always loved me... in the future, the past, and the present. Noel, I do love you. More than anything. I'm not sure if I made that clear to you while I was alive. I'd choose you over him any day. You're so sweet and kind. I don't even know if I ever deserved you.

Even if we'd stayed where we were, I still would've died eventually. Either sooner or later. It still would've been unexpected and abrupt anyway.

I wish that my life wasn't cut so short. I would've wanted to marry you, have your children, and just be happy with you. I still wish I could. Don't let my death stop you from loving again. It's not worth it. I want you to be happy. I know that I'll always have a place in your heart, even if you end up with someone else. I know this because I saw it in a vision, but I'm not telling you anything else. Just remember, if it wasn't for my "stupid gift," we never would've met. And then, I guess I would've been with Snow.

We'll meet again someday. I think I'm in Valhalla. Time doesn't flow here. I can see the timeline, but I won't worry you. Dying? No. It's painless. It's just like an image that you see and then suddenly fades away. Don't worry. Just live your life. I'll be waiting.

Love always, Serah

* * *

Dear Lightning,

It's not your fault that you became a l'Cie. You were sent on a mission and just happened to be there at the wrong time. You don't realize that you _were_ there for me. You practically raised me and turned me into who I am today. Sure, I have my flaws but you taught me everything you could. I'm grateful for that. Don't blame yourself.

I'm sorry that you had to die a terrible death. I'm sorry I got you involved in matters that weren't your own. I'm glad that you were put out of your misery. I wouldn't want you to be unhappy.

It was hard for me to tell anyone about the fact that Noel and I went time traveling. I made so many mistakes. I was scared and didn't want anyone to know. I'm sorry I never told you. I just didn't see how I could possibly tell anyone. It was just so horrible.

Where are you? What do you mean that you're in a dark place? Are you in Valhalla? And Lightning, I forgive you. I just hope that you can forgive me.

Love, Serah

* * *

Dear Snow,

Part of me wanted to go after you that day, when you ran back inside. But I didn't, because I love Noel. Deep down, I still love you too. But even if we were together, what would be the point? When we were together, it was always an argument or a break up. I couldn't go through that again, so I chose Noel. He was a better choice for me. Lightning once told me that you thought you could save everyone else, but you couldn't even save yourself. She was right. You couldn't and didn't save yourself. You need to think before you act. Maybe things could've been different.

That was me that you saw the other day. I'm in Valhalla too. I guess we haven't crossed paths yet. Yes, I've died. I'll explain when I see you, whenever that is.

From, Serah

* * *

To Bliss,

To be honest, you were a really good friend despite the fact that we only knew each other for a few days. I had a lot of fun with you. The party was fun. I'm glad I went with you even though I spent most of it with Noel.

I wish I was there too. Don't be sad. Please don't. It'll only make things worse. I know that it'll be hard, but everything will be all right. It always is. Tell Noel that I love him and not to be sad. Okay? I wouldn't want that for him, or anyone else. I don't believe that he'll try to kill himself. He knows that I would never forgive him if he did such a thing. Besides, he's not that kind of person. I know he wouldn't dare try.

Don't be sorry. None of this is your fault. I'm glad that you're going to try to help everyone cope. It'll help a great deal. Thank you for being a good friend, even though I'm long gone.

I hope that you and Yuj are doing okay. How is he? I hope that you're not bugging him too much. I love you too.

Sincerely, Serah

* * *

Dear Hope,

If I was still alive, I'd want to get to know you better too. And I'm glad that I've had such an influence on you to want to change. I hope that your attempts work out and you live a successful life.

I know it seems weird, but it's really complicated. Do you understand what Noel told you? I feel awful about it, especially since I'm writing to you now. I've made a million mistakes when was in the future, I mean... I guess it's not the future anymore. But you get what I mean right? It was so real. I had a huge impact on you then. You couldn't even look at me after what I'd done. I don't blame you.

I don't think we could have ever been together. It would be awkward, knowing what I did to you in another time. It could've worked out, I guess... if we both worked at it. But thank you for the compliment. I'll see you soon enough.

From, Serah

* * *

**The End. I hope you enjoyed these letters and unfortunately, this is the final chapter, so no more :( But stay tuned for my Harry Potter and Hunger Games fanfics if you're into those. Thank you for reading. And thanks for the support.**


	9. The Last Journey

**So i had an idea and I just had to upload it. But thanks to LemiaFair Daughter of Poseidon, she convinced me to continue. This chapter is a tearjerker. I'm warning you now. And to set the mood, may I suggest playing the instrumental version of Noel's theme in the background while you read? Enjoy.**

* * *

_18 years later…_

Noel was 36 now. He married a woman named Kaia, also known as Fang. She was 4 years older than him. They had a son named Elijah who was fourteen and a daughter, Lily, who was twelve. He still missed Serah terribly. He wondered what it would have been like if she hadn't died. They'd probably have been married, instead of him and Kaia. He loved Kaia, of course. But she just wasn't Serah.

Living in Oerba hadn't been so bad over the years. They'd all helped rebuild it. And things were looking up for them, considering that they were the last humans in the world. Everyone had children, which was necessary if they wanted to keep surviving. There were about fifty of them now. "Dad," said Elijah, interrupting Noel from his thoughts.

He looked up and smiled at his son. They were like twins, except that Elijah had Kaia's raven colored hair. "Mom said that dinner's almost ready."

"Okay. I'm just going to go for a walk before dinner," Noel said.

"All right," Elijah said, disappearing back inside the house. Noel started walking, away from his house, away from all of his friends. He walked on the beach, watching the sun set in the distance. He looked behind him and noticed that someone was watching him. _It can't be_, he thought as he stared at the all too familiar girl.

He was staring directly at Serah. Was he dreaming? Could it really be her? Noel ran to her and stared in disbelief. "Serah?"

She looked up at him and smiled. He missed that smile so much. "I am not the Serah you know."

"Of course not," he whispered, collapsing to his knees. Another Serah had been born, just as a Yeul is born each time she dies.

"Don't be sad. She is watching… She is watching us both," she said.

"What?"

"She has died in the real world, but she still lives on in Valhalla, with the others lost in the Fall of Cocoon."

"You have the gift too?"

"Yes. Every Serah born will have the gift and will be protected by Caius." Noel hadn't heard that name in years. Where was he? Why wasn't he here?

"Why are you here?"

"Because I saw this future in a vision."

"So what's going to happen next?"

"You will not return home. Instead, you will come with me."

Go with her? Leaving his family and friends behind? Noel was wary, but he couldn't say no. He'd give up anything to be around Serah again. Even if it wasn't really _his_ Serah.

"Okay," he said, following Serah. They didn't really talk much. He just watched her walk from behind. He enjoyed every moment that he had with her, even if it wasn't _really_ her. "Where are you taking me?"

"Home. To Paddra."

"Are there other people there?"

"Just Yeul and Caius."

Serah stopped walking, stumbling. "Serah? Are you okay?" Noel stepped in front of her. She was about to die. It was happening all over again. He had to witness her death yet again.

She collapsed to her knees. Noel knelt down next to her, holding her head up. Tears welled up in his eyes and began their descent. She smiled at him. "Don't do it," were her last words.

"Don't do what?" he cried. "Serah, _please_. Stay with me. Don't go." Her eyes closed slowly. He screamed out for her. "Serah! No!" He held her close to his chest as he cried his heart out.

Somehow, Noel thought that seeing Serah die for a second time was more painful than the first. _Don't do it._ What did she mean? Don't do what? Noel couldn't take it. Sooner or later another Serah would be born again. He couldn't stomach the thought of watching her die again.

He took Serah's lifeless body in his arms and carried her away, so that he could bury her. He dug and he dug for hours until the hole was deep enough. He picked her up again, her body cold against my arms, and lowered her carefully into the grave. He laid her arms thoughtfully across her chest and stared at her.

Serah was so beautiful, even if she wasn't the Serah he knew. He longed to be with his Serah again. It'd been 18 years that he'd lived without her, and 18 years he'd been suffering. He didn't know how much longer he could stand it. Sure, he loved his family and his friends. But he loved Serah more than he'd ever loved anyone. He loved her as a friend and as his former girlfriend. He longed to talk to _his_ Serah. To feel her fingers brush against his skin… To feel her lips pressed against his… He'd do anything for that.

He considered going back home. But it wasn't really a home to him. It never had been. Serah would want him to be happy. But he couldn't be happy… Not without her nearby. He wanted to die. Then he could be with Serah again. He spotted a ghoul nearby, so he allowed himself to be shredded to bits. His last thoughts were of Lily and Elijah. _I'm sorry_, he said in death.

* * *

_As the last hunter, I'll find the key._ The key was his death, ending his suffering.

He was floating in blackness. Floating aimlessly, with no obvious purpose. Then a bright light filled the place, blinding him. He closed his eyes and when they fluttered open, he was in a dreary place. A city. He looked around him frantically, observing his surroundings. Valhalla! That's where he was. That's where Serah might be.

_Valhalla is calling me to the end. _Valhalla was calling him all along. This was where he belonged. He could feel it in his heart.

"Serah!" he yelled, taking off into the seemingly empty city. He heard his voice echoing off the buildings. He kept running, searching.

_Hunting, searching for futures I've dreamed. _He was hunting, for Serah. Searching for the woman he loved with all his heart. She was his future. Here in Valhalla, though in Valhalla time did not flow.

* * *

He saw people that he didn't know walking around with no purpose. He saw a familiar blonde head of hair. "Snow?"

"Noel? What are you doing here?" _He's still an idiot,_ he thought. _Even in death._

"I'm looking for Serah," he said desperately. "Is she here? Why are all these people here?" The last time Noel had been in Valhalla, it wasn't exactly populated by many people.

"Etro cursed the human race. After we die, we come here. It's our punishment because you and Serah were changing time."

Yeul's voice echoed through his head. _If you change the future, you change the past,_ she'd said. Yeul was probably here too.

"What?" his eyes widened in horror. He looked at his hands, dropping to his knees. "I did this? This is my fault?"

"_Our_ Serah's in that building over there," he said, before walking off in the opposite direction. Without hesitation, Noel dashed inside. Serah stood up from her chair abruptly. "Noel?"

"Serah!" he exclaimed, pulling Serah into a hug. "I've missed you so much."

She pushed him away. "Why would you let yourself get killed? Serah told you not to do it. I thought you'd get it! I thought you were happy!"

"I couldn't be happy without you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm glad that you're here now. I've missed you too. Terribly."

Serah kissed him, just like she used to. "I feel so old compared to you."

"Well how old are you now? Thirty six? I love you, old man."

"I love you too."

* * *

He could see the timeline from Valhalla. The future, the present, and the past. Back in Oerba, his family was mourning. They never found his body. That was because what was left got washed away in the sea. To the kids, he was missing. But everyone else knew that he was most likely dead. They'd all meet a Serah soon. But this time, Noel wouldn't be there for her to die in his arms. Not again.

* * *

**Unfortunately, there will be no more complications arising. So this is the end. Seriously. I hope you've enjoyed this fic and feel free to check out the others.**


	10. Author's Note

So I've been thinking about my final fantasy mini series. I was thinking that I should combine all three and make it a little less vulgar lol. What do you think? "Complications Arise" will pretty much stay the same. "Lost in Time" and "What a Girl Wants" will be toned down from the sexual scenes. And maybe I'll throw in some more NoelxSerah in the beginning instead of HopexSerah. What do you think? Review with your thoughts.


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